How Ted Cruz Became a Power in the House

“Careful not to be viewed as orchestrating action in the House, even though he holds regular ‘fellowship’ meetings with members,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) “listened quietly and nodded along as his guests laid out their concerns and discussed possible demands for Boehner,” the Washington Post reports.

“He agreed that Boehner was distracted and said they should stick to their principles. The freshman senator also reminded them to be skeptical of promises from House leaders, particularly of ‘show votes’ — legislative action designed to placate conservatives that carry little, if any, weight.”

“That quiet assurance was enough to persuade the conservatives to effectively topple Boehner’s plan, at least on Thursday, by balking when he said he would hold a largely symbolic standalone vote on Obama’s program.”